Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of United Kingdom, you would:
Health
be 16.1% less likely to be obese
In United Kingdom, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
have 2.9 times more doctors per person
United Kingdom has 33.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
live 3.1 years less
In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 61.0% less spent on your healthcare
United Kingdom spends $6,606 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
be 44.4% more likely to die by suicide
United Kingdom has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.2% less likely to be unemployed
In United Kingdom, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 4.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Kingdom, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 65.9% more likely to die during infancy
In United Kingdom, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Cuba, on the other hand, 6.8 children do as of 2024.
have 12.8% fewer children
In United Kingdom, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cuba, there are 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 26.2% less likely to have internet access
In United Kingdom, approximately 95.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.7% less on healthcare
United Kingdom spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 42.8% more on education
United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 69.9% less coastline
United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 4.0 times more likely to be murdered
United Kingdom has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, that number is 4.5 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Kingdom, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.7% less home broadband
United Kingdom has 42.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
live with 66.8% more strain on fresh water
United Kingdom withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
use 65.2% less electricity
United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 54.7% less CO2
United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United Kingdom, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United Kingdom vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.